Troy police arrest man in Santa Claus' burglary

Santa Claus visited one homeowner a month late this season. But the jolly old elf was arrested.

The Troy Police Department expects to arraign a man who introduced himself as St. Nick during a recent break-in. The homeowner told police that she woke up to a strange man inside her home on the 1000 block of VanCourtland. When she asked him who he was he said “Santa Claus,” grabbed a set of keys and left the home, police said.

He was arrested — “thanks to some good police work” — by a Troy officer on Sunday, who spotted the suspect near a bus stop on Maple Road.Before the officer could even stop him to talk to him, the man took off, said Troy Sgt. Andy Breidenich.

“He wasn’t dressed in red or white, but the officer knew right then that he was chasing the suspect” because a dispatch call went out earlier that night to all patrol officers to be on the lookout for the man, Breidenich said.

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One thing the officer can’t wrap his head around is why the man referenced the holiday character.

“He might’ve said it as a diversionary tactic, or a weak attempt at humor as he was robbing the homeowner,” Breidenich said.

The man was later found to be a parole absconder. Troy police are still investigating and expect to arraign the man soon, Breidenich said.